Franklin County hears multi‑year push to reconvey Corps shoreline with tribal easements
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Summary
TRIDEC and county officials updated commissioners on a multi‑jurisdiction effort to transfer Army Corps shoreline lands to local control while memorializing tribal access through a cultural‑practices easement and memoranda of agreement. Commissioners pressed for timelines, costs and a unified congressional strategy.
Carl Dye, president and CEO of TRIDEC, and David Replog, TRIDEC’s vice president for federal programs, told the Franklin County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 28 that local governments and tribes have been studying a potential transfer of Army Corps‑owned shoreline in the Tri‑Cities.
Replog outlined the history: massive mid‑20th‑century floods prompted the Army Corps of Engineers to acquire much of the Columbia River shoreline for flood control. Since dams and levees have reduced flood risk, TRIDEC and several local governments have discussed whether federal ownership remains the best long‑term approach. Replog said pursuing transfers under the 1996 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) would require completing federal environmental review under NEPA, a process he described as time‑consuming and costly.
"If it took 10 years and about $1,000,000 for just 72 acres," Replog said, "it's not feasible to pursue the entire shoreline transfer using the existing authority." He said TRIDEC and partners are exploring congressional language that would authorize transfer without completing NEPA first, while using local environmental review (for example, SEPA) for future projects.
TRIDEC described a three‑part framework for any transfer: a memorandum of agreement among local governments and tribes, ground‑disturbing protocols to coordinate when digging is needed, and a cultural‑practices easement to memorialize tribal rights for fishing and gathering. Replog said tribes asked for the easement to ensure treaty‑reserved rights are recognized if ownership changes.
Commissioners pressed TRIDEC on timing, political strategy and costs. One commissioner pointed out that Kennewick spent about $1 million and a decade to pursue transfer of 72 acres; another asked whether executive branch action might be faster than legislation and raised concerns that attaching Congressman Dan Newhouse’s name to the request could affect White House consideration. TRIDEC said it is coordinating with congressional offices and tribal councils and planned to submit WRDA language this year.
Public commenters emphasized preserving public access and wildlife habitat if ownership changes. Marla Marvin of Save Our Shoreline asked how county plans would handle private parcels that lie inside the mapped reconveyance area and urged careful surveying and continued public access.
No formal action was taken; commissioners asked staff and TRIDEC for follow‑up information, including an expected timeline and clearer cost estimates before committing to particular legislative language.
